Good Samaritans remember deadly Highway 50 medical helicopter crash

Christopher Lozano helped victims after a medical aircraft crashed on Highway 50 in California. The accident killed one crew member and injured two others one year ago Tuesday.

Lozano and his grandmother, Isabella Lozano, stopped at the scene. They were among several passersby who gave aid.

Lozano went to assist paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis, 66. Isabella Lozano stayed with flight nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith, 67.

“I could see her eyes, I felt like she was looking at me,” Lozano said. “So I wanted to move her face to show her it’s okay.”

Isabella Lozano said Smith was stuck under the aircraft. She held the nurse before help came.

“I put her head on my thigh. Talked to her, prayed with her,” Isabella Lozano said. “I just held her until they came.”

Emergency crews soon reached the California highway. Crews freed Smith from the wreckage and took the victims to a hospital.

Pilot Chad Milward, 60, and Davis survived the crash. Smith died from her injuries at the hospital.

The Lozano family still communicates with Davis. REACH, the air medical service company, thanked the public in a statement.

“Chad and DeDe would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the community for their overwhelming support at the time of the accident, helping save DeDe’s life by lifting the helicopter off of her, and the continued love and comfort following the accident,” REACH said in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation on October 7, 2025. The board believes a power failure contributed to the crash. The cause of the outage is unknown.

Federal investigators examine mechanical systems and flight conditions after aircraft crashes. Agency teams work to identify safety hazards.

Smith’s family created the nonprofit foundation Our Angel That Flies. The group provides scholarships and medical aid in California and Nicaragua.